Prunus armeniaca.  杏 Xìng  Apricot  Family: Rosaceae   
Like almonds, Apricot kernel can be either sweet or bitter. This bitterness is the definition of the term bitter when describing herbs in Chinese medicine. The bitterness also corresponds to the toxic amydalin content. Sweet apricot kernel has very low toxicity, while the toxicity of Bitter apricot, Bitter almond and Peach kernel is higher.
Crossbreds/highbrids of apricots being sold for producing the fruit usually have bitter kernels. The Sweet apricot kernel is obtained from traditional trees.
杏 果 Xìng guǒ   Fruit  
Nature- neutral   FLAVOR: Sweet and sour
FUNCTIONS
1. Lubricates the Lungs and produces fluids.[6]
INDICATIONS
1. Thirst and asthma.[6]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Fresh apricots are not recommended for frequent or excessive consumption or for people with diarrhea.
PREPARATIONS: Commonly eaten fruit
    
- Quench a thirst- Eat 2 to 3 fresh or dry apricots in the morning and evening to relieve a dry throat and to quench thirst.[6]
杏 仁 Xìng rén   Sweet apricot kernel, Chinese almond    First mentioned in Shennong Ben Cao Jing text about 220 CE
Nature: warm, slightly warm    FLAVOR: Pungent and sweet  CHANNEL: Lung, Large Intestine.   TOXICITY: Slightly toxic.[5]
FUNCTIONS-
GROUP: Antitussive and Expectorant- Clear Breathing
1. Stops coughing and relieves wheezing-[1,6,7] This effect is immediate and has no equal for treating children coughing at night. A useful preparation with Apricot kernel with a phlegm resolving herb is She dan chuan bei ye oral liquid. Relieve dyspnea and asthma.[1]
2. Moistens the intestine and unblocks the bowels.[1,6,7]
3. Expel sputum. Lubricate the Lung. Resolves Phlegm.[1]
4. Lowers rising Lung Qi. Energy tonic.[6] Lowers excessive Energy.[1]
ACTIONS
INDICATIONS
1. Cough and dyspnea due to a range of causes including; failure of Lung Energy to descend, Heat or Cold, Wind Cold, Dry Heat, Colds with coughing.[1,7] Because the herb is moist in nature, is is escpecially useful for externally contracted Dry cough.[1,7] Unproductive coughing.[1] Asthma.[1]
2. Dryness syndrome of the intestine with constipation. This use of the herb derives from its high oil content.[7]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Cough due to Yin deficiency, diarrhea. Use with caution in treating infants and in cases of diarrhea.[7] Some traditional texts say this herb antagonizes Astragalus propinquus- Huang Qi, Scutellaria baicalensis- Huang qin and Pueraria pseudohirsuta- Ge gen.[7]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Decoction- Kernel 3-10 g crushed or chopped before decocting.[1,3,5,7] It is added near the end of the decoction.[7] Good quality if full, intact, non-oily, and bitter. Some sources indicate that it is better to remove the tip before using.[7]
Because this drug has a slight toxicity, never take large quantities of it. It should be used very cautiously for infants.[5] Collected in summer and dried in sunlight. It is used unprepared, or rid of the precarp and pointed tip after scalding.

- Cure chronic cough- Chew 5 to 10 Sweet apricot seeds once a day to cure chronic cough and shivering with cold.[6]
- Constipation in the elderly and in pregnant women- Combine 15 g Sweet apricot seeds, 30 g each of rice and sugar; add wate and crush them to make a cream. Eat it in the morning and evening.[6]
苦 杏 仁 Kǔ xìng rén   Bitter apricot kernel   
Nature- warm  FLAVOR: Pungent and bitter      TOXICITY: TOXIC
FUNCTIONS
1. Supress cough, relieve asthma.[6]
2. Lubricate intestines.[6]
PREPARATIONS: Bitter apricot seeds are toxic and should not be consumed in fresh or raw forms.[6]
- Dry cough- Prepare 2 pears and remove the seeds. Crush 6 g Bitter apricot seeds and grind into powder; stuff the powder into the pears and steam for half an hour. Eat once a day.[6]
- Cough with watery mucus- Boil 9 g Bitter apricot seeds in water with 6 g fresh ginger and 2 red dates. Drink as tea twice a day.[6]
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Safety and herb-drug interactions.
Research

Xing ren and Tao ren are restricted in Australia by TGA despite being used for thousands of years in Chinese herbs.
When are Fu Zi And Ma Huang going to become available in Austalia? Feb 22, 2013
Two of the herbs proposed by the former Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria to be added to Schedule 1 of the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP) remain unavailable to registered Chinese herbal medicine practitioners with additional endorsement for prescribing these herbs individually.
The SUSMP, referred to as “The Poisons Standard”, has a Schedule 1 which is empty. Under the Victorian Poisons List (Schedules 2-9 are adopted automatically by reference from the national Standard for Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons), it is currently illegal for a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner or herbal dispenser to ‘obtain, possess, use, sell or supply’ certain Chinese herbs listed in the various schedules of the list. Similar restrictions apply in other states and territories.
The former Chinese Medicine Registration Board Victoria (ended on 30 June 2012) prepared a submission for the Victorian Minister for Health recommending the inclusion of Fu zi and Ma huang (as well as Ban Bian Lian) in Schedule 1 of the Victorian Poisons List so that Board-endorsed practitioners could safely dispense/prescribe for patients who would benefit from the use of these herbs based on their professional justification and an evidence-based approach. Until now, the herbs have failed to receive the Ministerial approval in Victoria which may have been a basis for other States to consider similar arrangements.
With national registration now commenced from July 2012, this is now a national issue and a new strategy is needed to achieve access to those herbs for Chinese herbal medicine practitioners in Australia. safflower.com.au

Anti-inflammatory effect of Prunus armeniaca L. (Apricot) extracts ameliorates TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis in rats.
Minaiyan M, Ghannadi A, Asadi M, Etemad M, Mahzouni P.
Abstract
Prunus armeniaca L. (Apricot) is a tree cultivated in different parts of the world. Apricot kernel as a good dietary supplement has shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other pharmacologic properties which suggest that it may be functional as an anticolitis agent. In this study we evaluated the effects of apricot kernel extract and oil on ulcerative colitis in rats. Rats were fasted for 36 h before the experiment. Colitis was induced by intra-rectal instillation of 50 mg/kg trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid in male Wistar rats. Treatments were started 6 h after colitis induction and continued every 24 h for 5 days. Apricot kernel extract (100, 200, 400 mg/kg p.o. and 100, 400 mg/kg i.p.) and apricot kernel extract/oil (100, 200, 400 mg/kg p.o.) were used as experimental treatments and prednisolone (4 mg/kg p.o. or i.p.) was used as reference drug. On the day 6, colon tissue was removed and macroscopic and pathologic parameters were evaluated. Ulcer index and total colitis index as representative of macroscopic and histologic parameters respectively showed ameliorating effects in experimental groups especially those treated by intraperitoneal administration route. Results also demonstrated that oil fraction was not able to potentiate the effects of extract. These data suggest that apricot kernel extracts (with or without oil) can be introduced for further mechanistic and clinical studies as a complementary medicine for inflammatory bowel disorders.
PMID: 25657793 PMCID: PMC4314870   Res Pharm Sci. 2014 Jul-Aug;9(4):225-31.  ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of bitter and sweet apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) kernels.
Yiğit D, Yiğit N, Mavi A.
Abstract
The present study describes the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of methanol and water extracts of sweet and bitter apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) kernels. The antioxidant properties of apricot kernels were evaluated by determining radical scavenging power, lipid peroxidation inhibition activity and total phenol content measured with a DPPH test, the thiocyanate method and the Folin method, respectively. In contrast to extracts of the bitter kernels, both the water and methanol extracts of sweet kernels have antioxidant potential. The highest percent inhibition of lipid peroxidation (69%) and total phenolic content (7.9 +/- 0.2 microg/mL) were detected in the methanol extract of sweet kernels (Hasanbey) and in the water extract of the same cultivar, respectively. The antimicrobial activities of the above extracts were also tested against human pathogenic microorganisms using a disc-diffusion method, and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of each active extract were determined. The most effective antibacterial activity was observed in the methanol and water extracts of bitter kernels and in the methanol extract of sweet kernels against the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, the methanol extracts of the bitter kernels were very potent against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (0.312 mg/mL MIC value). Significant anti-candida activity was also observed with the methanol extract of bitter apricot kernels against Candida albicans, consisting of a 14 mm in diameter of inhibition zone and a 0.625 mg/mL MIC value.
PMID: 19330262  Braz J Med Biol Res. 2009 Apr;42(4):346-52.  ncbi.nlm.nih.gov